Street racing crashes kill 2 in Hillsborough County, troopers say

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida Highway Patrol located the car Wednesday believed to have been involved in the first of two deadly crashes in Hillsborough County in which investigators say street racing played a role.

According to the Florida HIghway Patrol, two cars were racing at high speeds down US 41, just north of South 16th Avenue, when the first crash happened Tuesday. 

An innocent driver, identified by family as Bryan Muniz, 26, tried to make a left turn on US 41 from 16th Avenue as the vehicles were speeding by, crash investigators said. 

RELATED: Hillsborough man killed in fiery street racing crash on US 41, troopers search for driver: FHP

Troopers said one of the two speeding cars, a Dodge Charger, rammed into Muniz's pickup truck, splitting it in half. The truck's bed landed in the northbound lanes and the front part of the vehicle flipped into the southbound lanes. 

A security camera at Florida Diesel Repair recorded the crash, which Kevin Davis, co-owner of the shop, said he witnessed first-hand.

The FHP says two speeding cars caused a crash on US 41.

"[He] had to be going well over 100 miles an hour, by the looks of it," Davis said, referring to the driver that crashed in Muniz's truck. "The truck I saw, I was standing outside, and it slid for about 75 yards on the side and caught fire."

Davis said he and other witnesses tried to pull Muniz from the truck.

"We grabbed all of our fire extinguishers, we could to try to keep the fire at bay before the firefighters got here," Davis said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to get to the young man and pull him out of the vehicle."

FHP said troopers recovered a 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4 at "a distribution center located off of 50th Street, north of State Road 60" Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators believe it has identified the car that didn't stop following the crash on U.S. 41. 

Five hours after the first deadly crash Tuesday, two cars collided on I-75 near Apollo Beach, killing the passenger in a vehicle FHP believes was racing just before the crash. The two crashes are not believed to be connected.

RELATED: FHP: Ruskin man dies after suspected street racing on I-75

Francis Simpson, whose 13-year-old son, Ethan Martin, was killed in January when he was hit by a motorcyclist who St. Petersburg Police said was involved in a street race, said these races need to stop.

Street racing is causing fatal crashes in Hillsborough County.

"I feel so sad, so sad, so many feelings. I miss my son. My life is not the same," Simpson told FOX 13. "When I hear things like this, it's like a movie, a terrifying movie...[street racing] should be stopped because it's not funny. It's not funny losing someone."

Anyone with information about either crash is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol.